Is it possible to change SQL Server standard to enterprise without re-install?

Question

Is it possible to change SQL Server standard to enterprise without re-install?

CharlieLor 566

If I want to change my standard edition to enterprise, do I have to re-install SQL Server Enterprise all over again or is there a way to just install the addition features of the Enterprise?

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Answer 1

Tom Phillips 17,771

You do not need a full reinstall.

Please see:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/upgrade-to-a-different-edition-of-sql-server-setup?view=sql-server-ver15

Answer 2

CharlieLor 566

That means I don't have to detach and re-attach or restore all my existing databases and users etc., correct?

Thank you for the help, much appreciated!

Tom Phillips 17,771 Reputation points

2020-08-20T18:43:49.507+00:00

You do not need to do anything except run setup and put in your Enterprise key.
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-20T18:52:20.647+00:00

While the answer is current, and even can be considered as official solution, I personally highly recommend NOT to upgrades editions and more important not to upgrade versions. This is not a task which you should do on a daily basis. I always guide my clients to have a clean installation in such cases (this is also a good opportunity to clean the system)
CharlieLor 566 Reputation points

2020-08-27T17:34:14.057+00:00

While the answer is current, and even can be considered as official solution, I personally highly recommend NOT to upgrades editions and more important not to upgrade versions. This is not a task which you should do on a daily basis. I always guide my clients to have a clean installation in such cases (this is also a good opportunity to clean the system)

This is a fairly new server I just built and realized I need the TDE so that's why I was asking question about edition upgrade. Besides an opportunity for a clean install, what are some of the issues/disadvantage of edition upgrade install of clean install?
tibor_karaszi@hotmail.com 4,316 Reputation points

2020-08-27T17:52:07.543+00:00

FWIW, TDE is available in Standard Edition on SQL 2019.
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-27T18:01:30.087+00:00

Hi,

Besides an opportunity for a clean install, what are some of the issues/disadvantage of edition upgrade install of clean install?

This is basically like asking: except the fact that 1+1 is 2, what is the answer of 1+1

There is no "Besides"! Working with clean environment is "the means to an end" in this case. No one can know what issue might be or might not be when the system is not clean. Maybe tomorrow you will install a third party application which will based on clean installation of SQL Server and these small remnants will lead to error?!? commuters are very complex set of code and each "piece of code" can impact something. The idea of using clean environment is to reduce the unexpected which by definition is unexpected (at least at this time)
Tom Phillips 17,771 Reputation points

2020-08-27T18:18:41.74+00:00

There is no problem with an edition upgrade from Standard to Enterprise. This is only a flag which is set. The code is all the same and it will not install anything new on the server.

it will require a restart of SQL Server to pick up the new Enterprise edition.
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-28T06:10:18.507+00:00

There is no problem with an edition upgrade from Standard to Enterprise. This is only a flag which is set. The code is all the same and it will not install anything new on the server.

You are right, this is true

and yet, I still stay with my approach as a golden rule :-)

It does not mean that I will not do it when I will need to

Answer 3

CharlieLor 566

I'm trying to understand pituach's point of view in case I missed something. An an example I have is Windows upgrade. I have never done an upgrade. I always install the new version on a clean formatted hard disk for the peace of mind that nothing old/problematic may carry over to the new version. For SQL Server, I have not done much work with it; thus, I'm still learning.

I appreciated your explanation.

Tom Phillips 17,771 Reputation points

2020-08-27T19:59:56.3+00:00

I believe pituach is mistaken. pituach is referring to upgrading VERSIONS, not changing EDITION.

I never recommend doing in-place VERSION upgrades. There is no problem with a Standard to Enterprise EDITION upgrade. Nothing happens, except the key changes and flags the installation to use Enterprise features.

In old versions of SQL Server, EDITION upgrades were a completely different installation, and you might as well do a clean install. That changed in SQL 2008 to a simple flip of the key to an Enterprise key.
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-28T06:00:47.23+00:00

Hi,

As I said in the original respond:

I personally highly recommend NOT to upgrades editions and more important not to upgrade versions.

This is my general approach, which I think you should follow, but the real potential issue is (as Tom mentioned and I explicitly mentioned as more important ) with upgrade versions

Should you "upgrades editions"? You can if you want, I think it is wrong approach as a default. Do you know that in previous version of SQL Server this was almost like re-install the server? Do you know what will be in the next version of SQL Server?!? I Don't know the future and my approach is to be prepare to anything I can in the scope of reasonable action.

Will it lead to any issue? Using SQL Server 2019 probably not, but should you count on this when this is a task which you do once in a lifetime?!? It is your call - my recommendation is not to get used to do so.
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-28T06:27:59.653+00:00

Let's have a theoretical discussion...

let's assume that I have a third party application, which check the version and edition of the SQL Server ONLY when the app is first installed, and during the installation of the app the server was Standard edition. For example a Content Management System (CMS) do such checks many times.

Let's assume that that CMS based it's installation on the edition of the server and it uses features according to the edition of the server. Moreover, it configure some parameters in the application level which are based on the edition.

Do you still think that upgrade edition cannot impact anything?!?

Do you know how the application will behave if it will now read that you have Enterprise edition while the application parameter is configure to have Standard edition? Maybe a conflict in the code will happen and maybe not.... We need to be familiar with the third party app before we can say what is the impact...
Ronen Ariely 15,206 Reputation points

2020-08-28T06:28:11.207+00:00

Tom is right in the scope of the SQL Server in the current version of SQL Server, but you should never count on "having no impact" on other apps, unless you 100% familiar with your system(which we do not). With that being said, the chance is extremely low here, and I assume that it will be OK for most cases (Do you count on "most"?)

Answer 4

Anonymous

I would like to ask if I need to buy enterprise licenses when switching from SQL Server Standard to enterprise and abandon the standard license? Is it possible to Modify a Standard license to an Enterprise license for an additional fee?

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Is it possible to change SQL Server standard to enterprise without re-install?

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